


Son of the Commandment

by SlowMoCyanide



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bar & Bat Mitzvah, Jewish Bucky Barnes, M/M, Sarah Rogers death (mention)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-07-10 09:07:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6976855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlowMoCyanide/pseuds/SlowMoCyanide
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky Barnes is about to turn 13, and is the first in his family to take the Bar Mitzvah, and he's scared, so he asks his best friend Steve to help him.<br/>Pure fluff to make me feel better about the grand fuckery that is Hydra Cap.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Son of the Commandment

It was oddly warm for late February, so warm that flowers had started to flower, which was brilliant according to Bucky Barnes' 3 younger sisters. However, Steve Rogers, the gangly 12 year old who trailed behind the Barnes' family group disagreed as he wiped his red eyes, swollen from the pollen, with the cuff of his oversized hand-me-down shirt. It had been 5 months since Sarah's death, and Steve was surviving, he had moved in with Bucky, and once again Steve had kept them running late as he struggled to find newspaper to push into his shoes.  
"Come on Rogers, we can't be late. I need to practice!" Bucky hollered to the gang as they rushed down the alley hearing the rabble of men talking in Yiddish outside the Synagogue.  
"I'm I'm coming Buck" Steve replied, picking up his pace even though his chest had started to hurt, he wasn't going into the Synagogue anyway, but he could sit on the steps outside and do some drawing, he always liked the drawing people at the market opposite, and Saturday morning was a great time to practice portraits of women going about their work, he wanted to capture someone who looked like Sarah, he wanted to remember her in his art. He always regretted never drawing her enough. After a bit of a tussle they reached the Synagogue, Bucky grabbing his skull-cap off Steve and rushing inside with his sisters, leaving Rogers on his own. 

A few hours later and Steve was stood back outside the Synagogue, waiting for Bucky and his sisters. He smiled so wide when he saw Bucky speaking to the rabbi, no doubt about his upcoming Bar-Mitzvah. Rebecca, Bucky's youngest sister came out to greet Steve laughing, "got all his words muddled again" she giggled, "he can't do the hebrew right, that's why Rabbi Zucker talking to him, Rabbi wants Bucky to practice more." Steve's face turned a little too sour, Bucky had spent all evening practising, and Steve thought he was doing great, he didn't understand a word of it, and he guessed that was good because he couldn't read it either.  
"But he was up way after the lights went last night Rebecca, he kept me up until 11!" Steve said, eyes on Bucky with concern, noticing how he hung his head and wrung his hands, "I thought he was good."  
"Yeah, but you can't read it either can ya!" She laughed, skipping back to her big sister, and demanding that they try and get apples on the way home.

After a minute contemplating, Steve swallowed nervously, and went inside to see if Bucky was okay. "Buck?" Steve asked, a bit nervous, not knowing what to say, "Rebecca said you were struggling, but- you'll do it, you know that. And- And we still have a couple weeks until you turn 13, and I'll help, I'll learn it to. How hard can it be?!" He grinned up at Buck, who just shrugged weakly, face buried in his tattered copy of the passage.  
"I just wanna get it right Stevie, and Esther is only 10 and she can do it almost perfect!" Bucky shouted, raising his voice a little too high, a few of the congregation looking in his direction with disdain.  
"Come on Buck, let's head down to the docks, I'll help you practice, and Rebecca wants apples, I bet if you ask the shopkeeper real nice we'll be able to get a couple bread rolls too." Steve smiled, always the optimist. After some hesitation, Bucky stood, looking around and wiping his eyes when no one but Steve could see.  
"Sure Rogers, but get ready to run in case she says no!" He grinned back, helping Steve up and slipping his book into his shorts. "Rebecca, Es, Ruth! Come on, let's swing by the docks!" He grabbed his sisters attention, and headed off with Steve's hand in his. Usually Steve and Bucky were left to play out on their own, and he was hoping that the girls would get bored of running around the alleys of Brooklyn and head back to the apartment if he gave enough chase. 

Playing around the docks always cheered Bucky up, he knew he'd have a job there soon, at 14 his dad said, as soon as he gets some beard. Bucky couldn't wait to grow a beard, to be a real man, and help his family get more money, especially after begging them to take in Steve. His Bar-Mitzvah was the first step to becoming a man, that's what everyone said, and being a man was important. Steve didn't see it that way, he didn't want to grow up, but he wanted to make his own way, that's why he started painting signs and sweeping up in some shops when Bucky went to the docks with his Dad, even if he only came back with some stale bread, or a couple cents, he was making his own. Steve smiled watching Bucky jump from one post to the other, both of them running off whenever a shipman shouted at them, ending up sitting at the dock edge both out of breath (Steve a lot more than Bucky) but grinning ear to ear. Bucky ripping the bread they managed to get from one of the grocers in half, and handing the bigger portion to Steve before speaking.  
"You think I'll be a man once I get these words right?"  
"I think you're already a man, but sure, come on, read 'em to me again." Steve replied, mouth full of bread.  
Biting his lip, Bucky started to read slowly, stumbling over his words, "טכִּי יְדַבֵּר אֲלֵכֶם פַּרְעֹה לֵאמֹר תְּנוּ לָכֶם מוֹפֵת וְאָמַרְתָּ אֶל אַהֲרֹן קַח אֶת מַטְּךָ וְהַשְׁלֵךְ לִפְנֵי פַרְעֹה יְהִי לְתַנִּין:  
יוַיָּבֹא משֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן אֶל פַּרְעֹה וַיַּעֲשׂוּ כֵן כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהֹוָה וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ אַהֲרֹן אֶת מַטֵּהוּ לִפְנֵי פַרְעֹה וְלִפְנֵי עֲבָדָיו וַיְהִי לְתַנִּין:  
יאוַיִּקְרָא גַּם פַּרְעֹה לַחֲכָמִים וְלַמְכַשְּׁפִים וַיַּעֲשׂוּ גַם הֵם חַרְטֻמֵּי מִצְרַיִם בְּלַהֲטֵיהֶם כֵּן:  
יבוַיַּשְׁלִיכוּ אִישׁ מַטֵּהוּ וַיִּהְיוּ לְתַנִּינִם וַיִּבְלַע מַטֵּה אַהֲרֹן אֶת מַטֹּתָם:  
יגוַיֶּחֱזַק לֵב פַּרְעֹה וְלֹא שָׁמַע אֲלֵהֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהֹוָה:"

Steve watched in amazement as Bucky's tongue slid over the words, Steve not really understanding what was being said, but unable to look away. He smiled as Bucky read, watching his mouth move and eyes move across the page. In that moment Steve felt a flutter in his stomach, something he'd never felt before, and blushed a little, wanting to reach out and touch Bucky's hand. Bucky stopped for a moment as he reached the end of a page.  
"So umm- that says that the Pharaoh wont let Moses' people go" Bucky said, as Steve was suddenly pulled back into the real world.  
"Oh like in Exodus? I know that story, Mom told me it around one Easter when I asked who Jewish people were!" Steve smiled wide, recognising something in Bucky.  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm one of Moses' people, I guess. I never really thought about it, it's just who I am, but- yeah." He smiled back at the blonde boy sat beside him, before continuing.

"ידוַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל משֶׁה כָּבֵד לֵב פַּרְעֹה מֵאֵן לְשַׁלַּח הָעָם:  
טולֵךְ אֶל פַּרְעֹה בַּבֹּקֶר הִנֵּה יֹצֵא הַמַּיְמָה וְנִצַּבְתָּ לִקְרָאתוֹ עַל שְׂפַת הַיְאֹר וְהַמַּטֶּה אֲשֶׁר נֶהְפַּךְ לְנָחָשׁ תִּקַּח בְּיָדֶךָ:  
טזוְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים שְׁלָחַנִי אֵלֶיךָ לֵאמֹר שַׁלַּח אֶת עַמִּי וְיַעַבְדֻנִי בַּמִּדְבָּר וְהִנֵּה לֹא שָׁמַעְתָּ עַד כֹּה:  
יזכֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה בְּזֹאת תֵּדַע כִּי אֲנִי יְהֹוָה הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מַכֶּה | בַּמַּטֶּה אֲשֶׁר בְּיָדִי עַל הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר בַּיְאֹר וְנֶהֶפְכוּ לְדָם:  
יחוְהַדָּגָה אֲשֶׁר בַּיְאֹר תָּמוּת וּבָאַשׁ הַיְאֹר וְנִלְאוּ מִצְרַיִם לִשְׁתּוֹת מַיִם מִן הַיְאֹר:  
יטוַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל משֶׁה אֱמֹר אֶל אַהֲרֹן קַח מַטְּךָ וּנְטֵה יָדְךָ עַל מֵימֵי מִצְרַיִם עַל נַהֲרֹתָם | עַל יְאֹרֵיהֶם וְעַל אַגְמֵיהֶם וְעַל כָּל מִקְוֵה מֵימֵיהֶם וְיִהְיוּ דָם וְהָיָה דָם בְּכָל אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וּבָעֵצִים וּבָאֲבָנִים:" Bucky continued, getting more confident as he read over the plagues, knowing the story, so finding it a little easier to read confidently. Again Steve was pulled back into this dizzy world were he just heard Bucky speak so softly, and watched him, reaching out with his pale hand and placing it softly on Bucky's.  
"Buck?"  
"Yeah Steve?" He replied softly, bringing himself to look at Steve's blush, and odd smile, something he hadn't seen since the first time they woke up sharing a bed.  
"You're gonna be okay, you're gonna do great, and be a man. I know it." Steve smiled, before looking down for the quickest moment and planting a soft kiss on Bucky's cheek, before turning bright red.  
Bucky blushed too, sure they'd shared intimate moments before, but Steve just kissed him! Okay, it was on the cheek, he's not a fairy, but still. Grinning, Bucky shoved Steve lightly and stood up, running off to play chase, keeping the thoughts of kissing Steve back in his head, deciding he should wait till he's a man to deal with. "Hurry up Rogers, or we'll miss the game!" He laughed, stood at the corner of the alley, waiting for Steve to catch up.

After all, Steve was always a couple steps behind.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to apologise here about any errors about the Bar Mitzvah ceremony. Despite being Jewish I never got to have one so am going off memory of friends and some research rather than my own experience. <3


End file.
